World's longest highway tunnel opened in Himachal Pradesh

World’s longest highway tunnel opened in Himachal Pradesh

Relevant for GS Paper III ;
Prelims: Atal Tunnel at Rohtang
Mains; Benefits Of Tunnel

WHY IN NEWS
•    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang at an altitude of above
     3,000 metres in Himachal Pradesh. The 9.02 km-long-tunnel, built by the Border Roads
     Organisation (BRO), is the world‟s longest highway tunnel and connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti
     valley.

Benefits of Tunnel
1. The tunnel provides would provide new strength to the country‟s border infrastructure. The
   tunnel, significant from the military logistics viewpoint, will provide better connectivity to the
   armed forces in reaching Ladakh.
2. It provides all-weather connectivity to the landlocked valley of Lahaul-Spiti, which remains cut-
   off for nearly six months in a year as the Rohtang Pass is uually snow-bound between November
   and April. Before the tunnel construction, the Lahaul Valley used to remain closed for vehicular
   movement due to bad weather conditions.
3. The tunnel reduces the distance by 46 km between Manali and Leh and the travel time by about 4
   to 5 hours. It is expected to boost tourism and winter sports in the region.

•    In 2019, The Union Cabinet decided to name the tunnel as „Atal Tunnel‟ to honour former Prime
     Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his contributions. The decision was taken in 2000 when he was
     the Prime Minister. The foundation stone was laid by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 28,
     2010.

How did the National Institute of Nutrition arrive at the ‘ideal’
              weight of Indian men and women

Relevant for GS Paper II ; Science & Technology
Prelims: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has released a new set of guidelines
Mains; How do Indians compare internationally in this Report

WHY IN NEWS
•   The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), the Hyderabad-based premier research body of the
    Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has released a new set of guidelines, updating
    norms on recommended dietary allowances (RDA), which is the average daily intake needed for
    a nutritious diet.
•   Besides several other recommendations, a salient point in the report released this week is the
    upward revision of the „ideal‟ weight of Indian men and women.

How are these reports prepared?
•   In 1989, an expert committee constituted by the NIN to decide on what should be a nutritious
    diet, used data generated by studying body weights and heights of well-to-do Indian children and
    adolescents. This was not reflective of the breadth and diversity of India.
•   The reference weights for a man and woman were fixed at 60 kg and 50 kg respectively. Another
    committee in 2010 considered extensive data on anthropometry collected by the National
    Nutrition Monitoring Bureau, using nutrition profiles from ten States of India for computing
    reference body weights.
•   They computed reference weights for different age groups. Most of the data collected were from
    rural India, but the reference points for a single „ideal‟ weight remained unchanged. For the latest
    report, NIN looked at nationally representative data from the National Family Health Survey-4
    (NFHS-4, 2015- 16), the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (2015-16), the World Health
    Organization (2006-07) and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP, 2016) to “derive acceptable
    reference body weight values through the lifespan.”
•   The definition for a reference Indian adult man and woman were modified with regard to age
    (19-39 years) instead of (20-39 years) and a body weight of 65 kg and 55 kg respectively were
    fixed for a normal Body Mass Index (BMI). Though termed „ideal‟, it is more appropriately a
    measure of the average weight of Indians.

How do Indians compare internationally?
•   The reference weights are a proxy for the nutritional status of the people of a country.
    International comparisons find that the average Indian is lighter than his or her counterparts
    globally.
•   The average Dutch male is 87.4 kg and a woman 72.3 kg, and the average weight in the United
    Kingdom is 86.8 kg for men and 72.9 kg for women, according to data aggregator
    „WorldData.info‟. Indians are closer to typical weights prevalent in Asia. The average Sri Lankan
    male is 61.3 kg and woman 56.2 kg, and the average Japanese man is 69 kg and woman 54.7 kg.
    The data, however, is based on 2010 estimates, and the latest NIN revision will push India up a
    few notches.

What are the dietary recommendations?
•   The guidelines specify the amount of carbohydrates, minerals, dietary fibre, fats and oils, protein,
    and even water, that a person must ideally consume. The water intake for an adult man ranges
    from 32-58 ml per kg body mass, and for a woman, it ranges from 27-52 ml per kg body mass.
    For children, the requirement is over 60 ml per kg body mass, and for adolescent boys it ranges
    from 47-60 ml per kg body mass, while for girls, it is 39-49 ml per kg body mass.
•   For a pregnant woman, based on the working intensity, the water required from beverages ranges
    from 2.1 litres to 3.2 litres per day. A minimum 400 gram/day of fruits and vegetables are
    necessary to obtain sufficient antioxidant nutrients, such as beta- carotene, Vitamin C, and certain
    non-nutrients like polyphenols and flavonoids that reportedly protect against chronic diseases.
•   This should be complemented with a sufficient amount of vegetable oil to obtain Vitamin E. The
    fat intakes for sedentary, moderate and heavy activities have been set at 25 gram/day, 30 g/d and
    40 g/d respectively for an adult man, and 20 g/d, 25 g/d and 30 g/d for adult women.

How does the removal of offset clause requirement affect
                        Rafale-like deals
Relevant for GS Paper II ; Science & Technology
Prelims: DAP 2020
Mains; What did the CAG say on the Rafale deal offsets

WHY IN NEWS
•   On September 28, the new Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP 2020) was released. Among
    other things, the Defence Ministry has removed the offset clause requirement in inter-
    governmental agreements (IGA) and has introduced a new category for leasing of military
    equipment.

What purpose does an offset clause serve?
•   A defence offset policy was promulgated under the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP-
    2005), with the objective that it would bring high-end technology to the country and help build
    the domestic defence industry.
•   Under the offset clause, a foreign company that wins a defence deal is supposed to invest a part
    of the contract value in the country, thus developing skills and bringing in technology, while also
    generating employment.
•   Under the DPP 2006, the offset value was fixed at 30% of defence deals above 300 crore, which
    was revised to 2,000 crore in DPP 2016 for full-import deals. The first offset contract was signed
    in 2007.
•   Auditing the offset deals till March 2018, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said 46
    offset contracts were signed for 66,427 crore, and till December 2018, 19,223 crore worth of
    offsets should have been discharged. “However, the vendors have claimed discharge of only
    11,396 crore, [i.e.,] 59%, of the offsets,” stated a report tabled in Parliament on September 23.
    Furthermore, the Ministry has accepted only 5,457 crore or 48% of these offset claims, while the
    rest were pending or rejected due to various deficiencies.
•   The remaining offset commitments of about 55,000 crore would be due for completion by 2024,
    but the rate of the offset discharge has been about 1,300 crore per year. “Given this situation,
    fulfilling the commitment of 55,000 crore by the vendors in the next six years remains a major
    challenge,” the report said.

What did the CAG say on the Rafale deal offsets?
•   The IGA of the 60,000-crore deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets stated that the French side would
    facilitate implementation of „Make in India‟ through offsets for 50% value of supply protocols,
    minus the value of performance-based logistics and simulator and training aids annual
    maintenance. The CAG said the French aircraft manufacturer, Dassault Aviation, and missile
    maker MBDA have till date “not confirmed” the transfer of technology to the Defence Research
    and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the offset clause.
•   According to the report, in September 2015, French companies Dassault Aviation and MBDA
    initially proposed to discharge 30% of their offset obligation in the Rafale deal by offering high
    technology to the DRDO, and as per the contract, acquisition of technology by the DRDO is
    envisaged subject to discussions between the vendor and the DRDO. In April 2016, the DRDO

identified six new technologies to be obtained from the firms under the offset obligations, but the
    vendors “did not agree on transfer of five technologies as most of them were not within the
    vendor‟s core competence”.
•   The sixth proposal of the DRDO was to obtain technical assistance for indigenous development
    of an engine, Kaveri, for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Stating that in October 2019, the
    Ministry of Defence (MoD) had informed them that the vendor had not yet been able to confirm
    their capability for doing the requisite upgradation, the CAG said, “thus, it is not clear if this
    technology transfer will take place, and there is need for MoD/DRDO to identify and acquire the
    right technologies in order to comply with the directions of Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
    given in September 2016.”
•   The MoD informed the CAG that the offset obligations under the Rafale deal were to start from
    September 23, 2019, and the first annual commitment would have to be completed by September
    23, 2020. The CAG noted that the maximum discharge of offsets — 57% by MBDA and 58% by
    Dassault Aviation — had been slated during the last year, which is year seven from the date of
    contract.
•   Giving the Rafale deal as a reference, the report said, “In many cases, it was found that the
    foreign vendors made various offset commitments to qualify for the main supply contract, but
    later were not earnest about fulfilling these commitments.”

What is the status now?
•   In the new DAP 2020, which came into effect on October 1, the government has removed the
    requirement for offset clause in IGAs or in Rafale-like deals. “We removed some of the offset
    requirements as they are not working. From now on, there will be no offset clause in
    government-to-government, single vendor and IGAs,” said Director General (Acquisition),
    Apurva Chandra.

China’s climate commitment:
Relevant for GS Paper II ; Environment
Prelims: Net-Zero Emissions
Mains; How significant is it for planet Earth, and India?

WHY IN NEWS
•   It‟s that time of the year when countries start preparing for negotiations at the year-ending UN
    climate change conference. This year, the conference is not happening because of the pandemic.
•   But, China made an unexpected announcement that ensured that there was no lack of climate
    change excitement this season. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi
    Jinping made two promises that came as a welcome surprise to climate change watchers.

What has China announced?
•   First, Xi said, China would become carbon net-zero by the year 2060. Net-zero is a state in which
    a country‟s emissions are compensated by absorptions and removal of greenhouse gases from the
    atmosphere. Absorption can be increased by creating more carbon sinks such as forests, while
    removal involves application of technologies such as carbon capture and storage.
•   Second, the Chinese President announced a small but important change in China‟s already
    committed target for letting its emissions “peak”, from “by 2030” to “before 2030”. That means
    China would not allow its greenhouse gas emissions to grow beyond that point. Xi did not
    specify how soon “before 2030” means, but even this much is being seen as a very positive move
    from the world‟s largest emitter.

Why is net-zero an important target?
•   For the last couple of years, there has been a concerted campaign to get countries, especially the
    big emitters, to commit themselves to achieve “climate neutrality” by 2050.
•   This is sometimes referred to as the state of net-zero emissions that would require countries to
    significantly reduce their emissions, while increasing land or forest sinks that would absorb the
    emissions that do take place. If the sinks are not adequate, countries can commit themselves to
    deploying technologies that physically remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from
    the atmosphere. Most of such carbon dioxide removal technologies are still unproven and
    extremely expensive.
•   Scientists and climate change campaign groups say global carbon neutrality by 2050 is the only
    way to achieve the Paris Agreement target of keeping global temperatures from rising beyond
    2°C compared to pre-industrial times. At the current rate of emissions, the world is headed for a
    3° to 4°C rise in temperatures by 2100.

How significant is China’s commitment?
•   China is the world‟s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It accounts for almost 30% of global
    emissions, more than the combined emissions in the United States, the European Union and
    India, the three next biggest emitters. Getting China to commit itself to a net- zero target, even if
    it is 10 years later than what everyone has in mind, is a big breakthrough, especially since
    countries have been reluctant to pledge themselves to such long term commitments.

•   So far, the European Union was the only big emitter to have committed itself to a net-zero
    emission status by 2050. More than 70 other countries have also made similar commitments but
    most of them have relatively low emissions because of which their net- zero status would not
    help the planet‟s cause in a big way. The real heavyweights whose climate actions are crucial to
    achieving the Paris Agreement targets are the Big Four — China, the US, the European Union
    and India — who together account for more than half the global emissions, followed by countries
    such as Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and Australia.
•   South Africa declared its intention to become carbon-neutral by 2050, but other countries have
    been holding back. The United States, under the Donald Trump administration, has walked out of
    the Paris Agreement, and does not even believe in these targets.

What is India’s commitment?
•   India has resisted pressure to make a long-term commitment, citing the fact that developed
    countries had utterly failed in keeping their past promises, and never delivered on the
    commitments they made earlier. India has also been arguing that the climate change actions it has
    been taking are, in relative terms, far more robust than those of the developed countries.
•   Until now, China had been making more or less similar arguments as India. The two countries
    have historically played together at the climate change negotiations, even though vast differences
    have emerged in their emissions and development status in the last couple of decades.
•   Therefore, China‟s decision is a big shot in the arm for the success of Paris Agreement.
    According to Climate Action Tracker, a global group that offers scientific analysis on actions
    being taken by countries, the Chinese goal, if realised, would lower global warming.

So, what are the implications of China’s commitment for India?
•   The Chinese announcement is naturally expected to increase pressure on India to follow suit, and
    agree to some long-term commitment even if it was not exactly 2050 net-zero goal. That is
    something that India is unlikely to do.
•   “It is the wrong kind of demand being put on us. In fact, if you look at the pledges that have been
    made in the Paris Agreement, India is the only G20 country whose actions are on track to meet
    the 2° goal.
•   The other developed countries actually have to make efforts towards a 1.5° world, but they are
    failing even to do enough to meet the 2° target. So, yes, there would be enhanced pressure, and
    we will have to deal with it. But it is an unfair demand, and we will have to resist it as we have
    been doing all along,” said Ajay Mathur, head of Delhi-based The Energy and Resources
    Institute.
•   Mathur‟s contention is corroborated by Climate Action Tracker as well, which puts India‟s
    actions as “2°C compatible”, while the US, China and even the European Union‟s current efforts
    are classified as “insufficient”.
•   Earlier this year, India was in the process of formulating a long-term climate policy for itself, but
    that effort seems to have been shelved as of now.
•   Another side-effect of the Chinese decision could be an increased divergence in the positions of
    India and China at the climate negotiations. China might now have fewer grounds to align itself
    with India as a developing country.

How secure are the messages sent on WhatsApp
Relevant for GS Paper II ; Science & Technology
Prelims: About WhatsApp
Mains; What is the technology behind this

WHY IN NEWS
•   Television news channels have shared leaked WhatsApp chats of film actors in their coverage of
    actor Sushant Singh Rajput‟s passing away. This has led to questions about whether
    communication over platforms such as WhatsApp is secure or not. It prompted Facebook-owned
    WhatsApp to come out with a statement on its use of end-to-end encryption to secure user
    messages.

Does WhatsApp have access to chats?
•   No. Since 2016, WhatsApp has installed an end-to-end encryption system, which, as its FAQ
    section says, “ensures only you and the person you‟re communicating with can read what‟s sent,
    and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp”.
•   Governments across the world see end-to-end encryption as a huge issue when it comes to law
    enforcement. While WhatsApp says it responds to requests from law enforcement agencies
    “based on applicable law and policy,” it is not clear what kind of data it would have to share.
    News reports have mentioned that these could be in the nature of metadata such as mobile
    number, IP address, location, and so on.

How is WhatsApp designed to ensure such secure communication?
•   WhatsApp uses the encryption protocol developed by Open Whisper Systems, a project known
    best for its Signal app, which also uses the same open-source framework to ensure privacy.
•   Whistle-blower Edward Snowden‟s quote — “I use Signal every day” — is prominently
    displayed on the application‟s homepage. Many closed messaging applications now use the
    Signal protocol.

What is the technology behind this?
•   The technology that forms the basis for this is called the „Diffie-Hellman key exchange‟. In a
    1976 paper titled, New Directions in Cryptography, Whitfield Diffie and Martin E. Hellman saw
    the futility of the old ways of sharing a key securely (say, by “sending the key in advance over
    some secure channel such as private courier or registered mail”) in the emerging digital world.
    They proposed a way for secure communication via a method of a shared secret key, and that too
    when the communication is over a not-so-secure channel.
•   This is all about high math, but one way to understand the broad concept, used by many experts,
    is by way of colours. In the world of imagination, a shared secret colour is the shared secret key
    between two communicators, who we will call A and B. (There are many versions of this
    example on the Internet.) A and B need to communicate without anyone eavesdropping. They
    first agree on a public colour (say, yellow).
•   The two communicators then choose their own private colour, which is not to be shared with
    anyone. Say A chooses red and B, blue. They then individually mix their private colour with the
    public colour and send the mixture to each other. Note that the eavesdroppers can figure out the

public colour and the mixtures. But there is one more step. B‟s mixture (some sort of green) at
    A‟s end is added with A‟s private colour (red), and A‟s mixture (some sort of orange) at B‟s end
    is added with B‟s private colour (blue). They both arrive at the same secret colour after the final
    step. There is now a shared secret colour key.
•   The message that also needs to be understood is that while it is easy to add colours, it is difficult
    to figure out the original colours that contributed to a mixture. In the math world, that is called a
    one-way function. Imagine the difficulty in figuring out a key from complex mathematical
    computations. The Diffie-Hellman paper said: “A third party eavesdropping on this exchange
    must find it computationally infeasible to compute the key from the information overheard.”

Can’t those who have access to the server read messages?
•   End-to-end encryption removes this vulnerability. WhatsApp also says it does not store messages
    on its servers once they are delivered.
•   An earlier generation of encryption did not secure the entire channel, but secured the
    communication between a user and the server (of a messaging service). Once the server received
    a message intended for another user, it would decrypt and again encrypt it before sending it
    securely to the receiver. But this meant that there was a chance of security being compromised at
    the level of the server.

Can leaks still happen?
•   End-to-end encryption cannot prevent leaks from happening if a third party has access to a device
    which contains these messages. Encryption also does not help in cases wherein the sender or the
    receiver of a message shares it with others, a member of a group shares it with others, or
    messages are stored in a different format on a different application or platform open to others.

Are there other vulnerabilities?
•   Bugs that lead others to control a user‟s phone are an example of such vulnerabilities. For
    instance, last year, WhatsApp revealed that surveillance technology developed by Israel‟s NSO
    Group had been used to spy on about 1,400 people across the world, including civil rights
    activists and journalists in India.